


For You I'd Wait (Til Kingdom Come)

by Lunarblue21



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:27:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25386019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarblue21/pseuds/Lunarblue21
Summary: This prompt fill is @stardustinbooks and @thecloseryoulook-thelessyousee, who requested Jeff/Annie flangst and also @onceandfuturekiki, who wanted to see some happy tears Annie w/ Jeff. This prompt fill is “Wait for me” and the ficmeme is this one. Title is from the Coldplay song. Crossposted from tumblr.Jeff and Annie realise that they are each other's "home" from the "Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television" series finale, mostly from Annie's pov. Kinda flangsty.
Relationships: Annie Edison/Jeff Winger
Comments: 10
Kudos: 52





	For You I'd Wait (Til Kingdom Come)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [onceandfuturekiki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/onceandfuturekiki/gifts).



* * *

Annie’s eyes follow Jeff as he leaves the bar, her face awake with concern and worry for him.

 _Wait for me_ , the words are on her lips, but for some reason she can’t yell them after him in this moment. Jeff needs her, she’s certain of that, she thinks as she remembers how ecstatic he’d been over her announcement but she could see in his expression the loss he was feeling then too.

The door slams and Annie flinches, quickly rising to her feet. The words she needs fly into her mouth, 

“Wait for me, Jeff, wait..!” 

But the only response is the miffed looks from bar patrons and a curious glance from Frankie. Abed and Britta just nurse their drinks, seemingly undisturbed by Jeff’s abrupt departure.

“Annie, he’ll be fine,” Britta says, her tone patronising. Annie grits her teeth, upset, as she’s been for years, over Britta’s apathy when Jeff is concerned.   
“He’s just in a rut now and he’ll get over it eventually.” 

Annie turns to face Britta, her cheeks flaming.

“Jeff needs someone right now. He’s needed someone for so long, just someone to listen. I’m going to find him, right now. I have an idea where he is.” 

Britta rolls her eyes.

“Well, it’s your funeral,” she says. “Good luck getting anything out of him.” 

“Annie,” Frankie breaks in, her voice soft. “I don’t really know anything about what’s between you and Jeff, but I trust your judgement. Go to him.” 

Annie manages a watery smile for Frankie, the mother-figure she’s yearned so long for.

“Thank you, Frankie,” she whispers. She heads for her car, feeling her heart beating in her chest, hoping against hope that her hunch is right and the man she loves is right she knows him to be: _home_ (i.e. Greendale.) (i.e. their study room.) 

Annie finds Jeff where she knew he’d be - in their study room. She opens the door to the GCC library, as she’s done many times before, as silently as possible, but he hears the movement behind him. He pivots to face her, asking,

“How’d you get in here?” 

Annie explains, sending him a gentle smile, 

“I pulled the spare key so that the Dean would stop leaving them under the welcome mat.” 

Jeff’s eyes are on her. Annie notices he can’t seem to pull his gaze away, as if he’s memorising her. _I’m not even going away for a long time,_ Annie reassures herself. _It’s only the summer. Why is Jeff so bent out of shape over this? Normally he’d be happy for me._

“You left… weirdly,” she comments. 

“There’s no normal way to do anything now,” Jeff replies. He sounds like there’s a frog in his throat. Annie can see that he’s on the verge of tears. 

“You’re gonna be fine, you know,” she murmurs, hoping to lend him some comfort. _We’re both gonna be fine. Finally be fine. I just need to help Jeff see it._

Much to her surprise, Jeff shakes his head at the idea, launching into a sort of ramble (in any other context it is a Winger speech, but Annie knows what one is, and this isn’t, but it almost _feels_ like one),

“I don’t want to be fine. I want to be twenty-five and heading out into the world. I wanna fall asleep on a beach and be able to walk the next day, or stay up all night on accident. I wanna wear a t-shirt without looking like I forgot to get dressed. I want to be terrified of AIDS…” Jeff pauses, as Annie has a self-conscious reminder of her embarrassing “Catch Knowledge” STD fair from freshman year, but she pulls her attention back to Jeff when he mentions, in a whisper, after unnecessarily looking around for other people, “I want to have an opinion about those boring-ass Marvel movies.” He continues, in a normal voice, “And I want those opinions to be of any concern to the people making them.”

Like me? Annie queries inwardly. It feels so good to see Jeff being honest with her; she decides to open her heart to him, 

“Well, I want to live in the same house for more than a year, order wine without feeling nervous, have a resume full of crazy mistakes instead of crazy lies. I want stories and wisdom, perspective. I want to have so much behind me that I’m not a slave to what’s in front of me…” She lowers her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, leaning in closer to Jeff, “especially these flavourless unremarkable Marvel movies.” 

“They are so not a big deal! “ Jeff agrees, gesturing wildly with his body to make his point even clearer. 

Annie finds herself smiling at him. She’s missed goofy Jeff so much, and at times it’s felt like she’s been the only one who notices his despondency and former zest for life began to disappear once the semester began again after they had saved Greendale a few months earlier. Annie believes it’s in part because Jeff fears he’s losing everyone, but a tiny niggling question lingers in her chest: is part of due to how Jeff opened the door in the bunker? And does it, maybe, possibly, perhaps, have to do with her? 

She’s long given up on “reading into things” but whenever she replays that day in her memories and feels Jeff’s longing stare at her back she can’t help but wonder if the truth is that he needs her and that maybe, just maybe, her long-held torch for him is one that he carries too. He just needs the strength to let her see the light of that same love for himself. 

“I know!” Annie replies, beginning to get into conversation again to distract herself from her thoughts. 

“It’s just all there is!” Jeff grumbles, his gaze still lingering on her. 

“Yes, and you get to say that!” Annie says, her eyes becoming large and doe-eyed as she points at him emphatically. She lowers her voice, adding, “I could screw myself if I say that, but there’s pressures on me you don’t have to live under, if you accept that you’re older.” She looks at him, her expression softening. “And let the kid stuff go.” 

Jeff’s next words, so quiet and broken and filled with honesty and love, nearly knock the breath right out of her, 

“I let you go, Annie,” he confesses. (In other words, she knows this is him admitting the opposite: I can’t keep myself from holding on to you, Annie.) “From my hands and my head. The heart, which cynics say is code for penis, wants what it wants. But I let you go.” 

His eyes are so, so sad as he tells her in the only way that he can that he loves her. Annie stares back at him, her heart swelling with compassion. This isn’t the big romantic way she’s envisioned anything like this happening, but she is nearly twenty-four now and with that maturity comes the realisation that love doesn’t need the trappings of Disney fairytales or huge romantic gestures. 

Love, Annie knows now, is courage and selflessness and loyalty and honesty, and the embers of love she’s burned for Jeff still nestle in her chest. All she’s ever longed for is him honestly tell her how he feels, since something will always bring her back to him and vice versa. 

Her heart starts beating rapidly in her chest and then her phone vibrates in her pocket. She glances at it, reads the message sent from the group, nods, before announcing to Jeff,

“The others are coming,” as she holds her phone up as proof. 

Memories of their breathtaking kiss under the fairy lights and outside Borchert Hall flood through her mind, steeling her resolve as she gazes into Jeff’s eyes, offering him up a dare (or a proposition, she doesn’t really see the difference), as she remembers that girl from six years ago, taking all the risks that night to show Jeff that she has feelings for him. Yes, it wasn’t love yet, she accepts, when forced to relieve the past, but that kiss was magic, even if it was mostly chemistry and recklessness. 

Now, will Jeff take a risk of his own and prove his love to me? She wonders as the words take shape in her mouth, all breathy and hushed and excited, 

“I think you should kiss me goodbye or you might regret it for the rest of your life,” she says, still holding his gaze. 

What Jeff says next somewhat surprises her; reminds her again how far he’s come from the selfish, arrogant man she knows when they first met six years ago. Now he’s gentle and kind, even selfless. Her heart beats quickly as she smiles to herself, her eyes still fixed on his. 

“What about you?” Jeff says, almost in a whisper. 

Annie grins at him, realising all too well how insecure he is and wanting to make him feel better. She is partners with regret, regrets have long been a part of her life, but she knows that this risk is not ever going to be one of them. 

“Oh, I’ll regret the kiss in a week, I’m in a twenties,” she replies, keeping an undertone of gaiety in her voice to let Jeff know that she’s joking. With a shrug, she adds, “Who cares?” 

(This kiss - she knows she’ll never “regret” it. She may regret, to some extent, that impulsive, daring kiss under the lights outside Borchert Hall during their first year, but never this one. If only Jeff will give it to her…) 

She feels Jeff’s eyes on her as he ambles over to her. With his hand, he brushes her hair away from her forehead as she thrills at his gentle touch. 

He leans down towards her as she raises her lips to meet his, closing her eyes as she sinks into his mouth. 

She wonders if Jeff can hear how loud her heartbeat is since his hand is on her shoulder but she discovers she doesn’t care. All she can think about during this kiss is that her hope - that for so long has stayed her in the midst of the dark days in her life - is vindicating her. Jeff’s denials and insecurity over how he’s felt about her no longer matter, since hope is her champion, and hope is the word that will bring them back to each other after the summer. 

………

During her last week at home in Greendale, Colorado, Annie and Jeff don’t lose any time, realising that the lessons Prof Whitman taught them so long ago about “seizing the day” are very apt for their situation. 

It’s the day before she leaves (and Jeff, of all people, is agreeing to take her and Abed to DIA) when Jeff brings up something that’s been weighing on his mind to her. 

They’re on a date (official!) of sorts at a Starbucks located near the GCC campus. Jeff, however, is just nursing his frappucino and staring at her, the edges of a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. 

After a moment, he reaches out and grabs her hand, rubbing her fingers gently within his grip. Annie smiles softly at him, enjoying his touch. 

Jeff clears his throat, making her quirk an eyebrow at him inquisitively. 

“Annie, wait for me,” he says, his words falling over each other in a rush. He looks almost embarrassed about the declaration, and a bit afraid. 

“Wait for you how, Jeff?” she asks, already having some clue about what he’s on about. 

“I know I’ve made _you_ wait too long to know how I felt,” Jeff admits, his tone contrite. “And you have no idea how sorry I am about that… I just… Annie, please don’t find another Vaughn in D.C.” 

_Please don’t leave me_ , she reads the message glimmering in his bright blue eyes; notices that he seems on the verge of tears. 

“Just… wait for me, over the summer, and then when you come back we can be together, for real and as long as you want it to.” 

“Like, forever?” Annie whispers as Jeff leans in closer to her over the small table. His face is so close to hers Annie nearly forgets how to breathe. 

“Yes,” Jeff says (it sounds like a promise) and suddenly his lips are on hers. Annie responds to the quick, passionate kiss as tears - happy, happy tears - prickle at the corners of her eyes. 

Jeff breaks away from the kiss, his face transforming into concern when he sees the tears glistening in those doe eyes. He rubs at his head, making Annie chuckle at his confusion. 

“Jeff, don’t worry,” she murmurs. “I’m only crying because I’m happy. Because you make me happy.” 

She looks into his eyes, watches the relief flood over his face. 

“Don’t worry,” she continues. “I’ll come back to you. I’ll wait for you… because Jeff, you’re my home.” 

Seemingly reading her mind, Jeff breaks in, grinning like a big kid, 

“And you always, always come back to your home… where you belong.” 

Annie nods, blinking back more tears. She rises to her feet, wrapping her arms around Jeff. 

“You’re the only place I could really ever be,” Annie reassures him, rubbing her fingers through his hair. “So don’t worry. I won’t find another Vaughn, because you’re the only Jeff Winger that I could possibly want.” 

Her statement makes Jeff blink back his happy tears and pull her closer. 

….. 

Finally, the night arrives for Annie and Abed to leave. Jeff helps them pack his Lexus with their luggage, using every excuse he can to touch Annie whilst doing so. The constant interaction makes Annie giggle happily whilst Abed watches nearby a bit morosely. Annie wonders if he’s missing Rachel, and hopes that he’ll be able to find her when he gets to L.A.

Abed graciously lets Annie sit in the passenger seat next to Jeff on the drive to L.A, something that both of them appreciate. Annie clings to Jeff’s hand during most of the drive. Everyone is quiet, too wrapped up in their own thoughts and their quiet loss. The missing begins before you even ever get on the plane, Annie realises.

Jeff pulls up to DIA as Annie starts reaching for her papers and documents that she needs for boarding her plane. He brings the car to a stop as Annie opens her car door, quickly exiting, as Jeff does the same on his side to retrieve their luggage.

Annie opens the car door for Abed, smiling quickly to cover her own butterflies about this trip and to encourage her friend as she lets him out. Jeff tosses Abed’s bag at him as she watches and then closes the trunk.

He moves in to hug her, brushing a moist, casual kiss onto her lips as her arms encircle him briefly. In that moment, all she wants is to hold him forever and never let go. She places her hand on his shoulder as they break apart, sorrow and excitement mingling together in her soul.

She circles around Abed as Jeff enfolds him a quick hug and then holds him by his shoulders, staring into his eyes as Annie watches from the side. Jeff leans in to give Abed another, deeper hug as a sad smile brightens Annie’s eyes.

Jeff and Abed part as Annie keeps stealing glances at Jeff, trying to memorise everything about him as she leaves.

Annie looks back, waving at Jeff with her paper still in her hand. A warm, happy smile makes her face glow as she lingers on him, the man she loves, and Abed turns to look back too.

She hopes that her looking back at him will assure Jeff of her own thoughts in this moment as she departs:

_Wait for me, my dear. It won’t be long. And then I’ll have you in my arms again. Wait for me, because I will come home, because not even the end of the world can stop me from returning to you._

FIN 

* * *

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